University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations 12-14-2015 Main Street, America: Histories of I-95 Mark T. Evans University of South Carolina - Columbia Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Evans, M. T.(2015). Main Street, America: Histories of I-95. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/ etd/3223 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MAIN STREET , AMERICA HISTORIES OF I-95 by Mark T. Evans Bachelor of Arts Winthrop University, 2006 Master of Arts University of South Carolina, 2010 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History College of Arts and Sciences University of South Carolina 2015 Accepted by: Mark M. Smith, Major Professor Patricia Sullivan, Committee Member Kent Germany, Committee Member Robert Brinkmeyer, Committee Member Lacy Ford, Senior Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies DEDICATION To my loving and endlessly supportive wife, Johanna. You entered my life while I pursued this dream. As it becomes reality, we enter another, parenthood, together. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Researching a dissertation, especially one requiring extensive travel, is expensive. To that end, I am extremely grateful for the support provided by the University of South Carolina History Department, the University of South Carolina Graduate School, the Institute for Southern Studies, and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. The coursework component of a doctoral program is trying intellectually and emotionally. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have had a wonderful cohort who shared in the pains, celebrated the victories, and in general, made the experience an enjoyable one. Over the course of road trips to Boston, Charleston, and Atlanta to research our respective dissertations, I grew a deep admiration for Michael Woods’ work ethic and intellectual curiosity. And as trying as the doctoral program was, I emerged with three great friends: Celia Galens, whose generosity inspires; Allen Driggers, who will enter fatherhood a few weeks before me; and Lee Durbetaki, who stood beside me at my wedding. I have also been blessed with an inspiring, supportive, and patient advisor in Mark Smith, who allowed me to take an unconventional path to PhD completion. I am not certain I could have finished unless under his guidance. I am also grateful for the selflessness of my dissertation committee: Kent Germany, Pat Sullivan, and Bob Brinkmeyer, as well as others with whom I worked and studied over the past seven years: Matt Childs, Kathryn Edwards, Lacy Ford, Lawrence iii Glickman, Ann Johnson, and Lauren Sklaroff each made this dissertation possible in his or her own way. Successfully completing a doctoral degree requires non-academic support, as well. For this reason, I should thank my mother and father, who sacrificed much so I could pursue dreams. I entered graduate school with the enduring support of two undergraduate professors I now consider family: Gloria Jones, who decided to be my “mother in the South” the day we met, and Donald Friedman, whose brilliance, friendship, and unshakeable optimism sustained me during good times and bad. I was very fortunate to have a housemate pursuing a graduate degree in English while I lived in Columbia. Christina Williams’ sense of humor was always appreciated during late-night work sessions, and today I consider her among my closest friends, even if we are separated by much more than a hallway. I also want to acknowledge others who made this possible: my brothers, Chris and Cory; loving parents I picked up along the way, Tom and Maryann Miehe; and a great friend, Jennifer Miller. And of course, a special thank you to my wife, Johanna, who decided to date me even though I was in grad school and then married me even though I spent countless hours on the road, on the computer, and in the books in pursuit of this dissertation. iv ABSTRACT “Main Street, America: Histories of I-95” fills a historiographical gap by arguing the Interstate Highway System can only be accurately understood through the study of local histories. The existing literature tends toward national, system-wide evaluations and consequently fails to capture the complexity of the Interstate Highway’s interaction with the communities through which it passes. By focusing on the backbone of the Interstate Highway System, I-95, this dissertation demonstrates responses to Interstate Highways were dependent on the interplay of myriad local factors. Additionally, it argues that I- 95’s effect on communities was determined by local conditions. Studying individual communities along a single route results in a new way of understanding the Interstate Highway System. Rather than serving as a simple catalyst of economic growth or a harbingers of destroyed cities, I-95 (and by extension, the larger Interstate Highway System) emerges as a far more interesting subject, one with a history more complex than previously understood. v TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................... viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................................... ix INTRODUCTION : THE ROAD BEHIND , THE ROAD AHEAD .......................................................1 CHAPTER 1: “A NEW VISION HAS COME TO MOTORING MAN ” ..........................................18 ANTECEDENTS AND MOMENTUM ............................................................................24 MANUFACTURING SUPPORT ....................................................................................35 THE RESULTS OF RHETORIC : TWO CASE STUDIES ..................................................50 CHAPTER 2: PEOPLE AND PROGRESS IN WILMINGTON , DELAWARE ....................................67 EARLY RUMBLINGS : THE BANCROFT PARKWAY AND AN EASTERN OPTION ...........69 THE JACKSON -ADAMS STREET CONTROVERSY ......................................................73 THE FIGHT FOR ARDEN ...........................................................................................99 CHAPTER 3: RESISTANCE IN NEW JERSEY ..........................................................................108 ANOTHER ROAD IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD .............................................................109 A SUCCESSFUL FIGHT ...........................................................................................112 CHAPTER 4: WAITING IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA ..................................................................130 PROMISES OF PROGRESS .......................................................................................132 CRAMER V . BRYANT .............................................................................................143 vi CHAPTER 5: INTRASTATE SPARRING IN SOUTH CAROLINA .................................................160 PROMISE AND PROXIMITY .....................................................................................186 CHAPTER 6: THE INTERSECTION OF I-95 AND BLACK WALL STREET ................................192 CHAPTER 7: THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED ..........................................................................214 A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN ......................................................................................228 CONCLUSION : A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF I-95 .................................................................233 REFERENCES .....................................................................................................................237 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 The Jackson/Adams Route .............................................................................106 Figure 2.2 The Bancroft Route and Eastern Option ........................................................107 Figure 3.1 The Break in New Jersey’s I-95 .....................................................................129 Figure 4.1 I-95 in Florida .................................................................................................159 Figure 5.1 Route Options in South Carolina ....................................................................190 Figure 5.2 Detailed South Carolina Routes .....................................................................191 viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AAA ..................................................... American Automobile Association (Heathrow, FL) AASHO .................................................. American Association of State Highway Officials BPR ................................................................................................. Bureau of Public Roads CPL ...................................................................... Claude Pepper Library (Tallahassee, FL) DHS............................................................ Delaware Historical Society (Wilmington, DE) DPA.........................................................................Delaware